Cleric: Stacy Peterson said husband told her he killed ex-wife

A minister from Plainfield said on national TV on Monday night that as he counseled Stacy Peterson in the months before she disappeared, she told him her husband admitted killing his ex-wife Kathleen Savio.

Rev. Neil Schori, formerly of Westbrook Christian Church in Bolingbrook, said Stacy Peterson, 23, blurted out in a Bolingbrook coffee shop that "he did it," referring to her husband, Drew Peterson, 53, whose ex-wife was found dead in her bathtub in 2004. Savio's death was ruled an accidental drowning at the time, but her body recently was exhumed for a second autopsy. Those results have not been released.

"I was really blown away, I was reeling inside," Schori told Greta Van Susteren in an interview for Fox's "On the Record" show.

Drew Peterson, a former Bolingbrook police sergeant, has been named a suspect in Stacy Peterson's disappearance.

Schori said Stacy Peterson gave him details about Savio's death that convinced him she was not speculating about her husband's involvement. Asked why she stayed with Peterson, Schori said probably out of fear.

Joel Brodsky, Peterson's attorney, said on the show, "I'd love to get to cross-examine this guy because there are a lot of problems with his story."

Earlier Monday, Illinois State Police resumed their search of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Romeoville and Lockport. Stacy Peterson has been missing since Oct. 28.

"We're in the canal today, and the weather is going to probably play a larger role against us this week than it has been," state police Capt. Ken Kaupas said, referring to freezing temperatures. He said dozens of personnel, led by the Tri-County Auto Theft Unit, joined in the search.

Last week, more than a dozen agencies, including the FBI, Coast Guard, Department of Defense and Army Corps of Engineers, participated in a search of the canal, where divers recovered various debris.

Kaupas declined to say what led investigators to the canal. Pam Bosco, a spokeswoman for Stacy Peterson's family, said police told her they were using high-resolution sonar equipment borrowed from Minnesota to "give them a clearer picture of what they are seeing.

"There's lots of stuff down there. They're going to go every two miles, make sure it's good to go before going on to the next section, so they're doing a very thorough job," she said. " Nothing will get past them. ... They're investing a lot of money and time into this location, so there must be a reason for it."

Kaupas also said police have determined that a tip by two truck drivers regarding the case is completely unfounded. On Dec. 1, state police released a statement saying that in the early morning of Oct. 29 two men -- one of whom matched a description of Peterson -- approached two drivers at a Bolingbrook truck stop and asked them to transport a package.

"We were able to run that whole story down, and there doesn't appear to be an ounce of validity to that lead," he said, adding, "We continue to get lots of leads coming in."

Meanwhile, Stacy Peterson's family teamed up with relatives of four missing people at a news conference to bring attention to their cases. .